Having less knowledge is very dangerous. But having too much deceitful knowledge is as dangerous as having less.
Knowledge is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as (i) expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject; (ii) what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information; or (iii) awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.
Meanwhile, Wisdom is a deep understanding and realizing of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time and energy. Wisdom is the ability to optimally (effectively and efficiently) apply perceptions and knowledge and so produce the desired results. Wisdom is comprehension of what is true or right coupled with optimum judgment as to action.
The Bible, through prophet Daniel foresaw the explosion of knowledge and indeed it is very true of our world. “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12: 4) Today, we live in an information age, wherein knowledge and information are easily transferred and obtained. As information grows within our reach, it becomes dangerous to many people because they use it as a tool to deceit others. And even if the sources of information are made available to everyone, what is very sad is the lack of the knowledge that is very essential to every one.
The Prophet Hosea prophesied, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” (Hosea 4:6) We are overflowing with information, yet we lack the essential knowledge. It seems like we are informed about everything, considering what we see in the television, hear on the radio and browse through the internet, but still, we know nothing. This is true because what is published in social media are not information that lead us to understanding but only to an emotional reaction and the acquisition of casual knowledge. So, in spite of the massive information we receive, a gap exists.
Where can we find the knowledge that fills all the gaps? Where can we find true and honest information that will bring us understanding and wisdom? This is where we introduce the Bible. The Bible, being the book that contains the words of God, stands as the true source of correct knowledge. The Bible gives us the proper structure of the essential knowledge through which all other useful information is properly understood. Without this crucial foundation, we live in a confused and mixed environment, constantly filled with overflowing of information we cannot fully grasp or understand.
God reveals profound spiritual knowledge to those who believe and obey Him. What does the Bible tell us about “knowledge”? The Bible we use nowadays is translated in many major languages of the world and can be accessed now electronically via software programs. The problem lies not in the resource material (Bible), but the people who put less effort in trying to understand it. And maybe, this is due to the fact that the Bible today is being ignored by many people, especially the youth.
It is true that the Bible is very hard to understand, and we need a lot of effort and the needed guidance from the Lord to be able to understand it. Apostle Peter mentions that there are some difficult things in Paul’s letters, which, some people failed to understand and due to their ignorance they understood it falsely. 2Pe 3:16 This is what he says in all his letters when he writes on the subject. There are some difficult things in his letters which ignorant and unstable people explain falsely, as they do with other passages of the Scriptures. So they bring on their own destruction. God is very much concerned with what we know. People tend to mislead because they focus on what they already know from within themselves rather than knowing what is not yet known, and this gives devastating results. Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Not all that we know is righteous in God. Often, what we think right can lead us to destruction.
What’s missing is the knowledge of the Lord. This was mentioned in Hosea 4: 1, “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.” This occurred in Israel, and according to Prophet Jeremiah, “Jer 2:8 The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who were expert in the law had no knowledge of me: and the rulers did evil against me, and the prophets became prophets of the Baal, going after things without value.” Everything became worst during their time, especially when it comes to worship, because they have forgotten what is the most essential thing in this life, that is, the knowledge of God.
God created us and give us the free will to choose whatever we want to do. Along with this free will is our ability to grasp material knowledge that we can use. And for sure, we have plenty of that knowledge. But what we lack is the spiritual knowledge and this was perceived by Apostle Paul that many tend to be “always learning and never able to come to knowledge of the truth”! (2 Timothy 3:7).
The consequences for these things are worst, for the Lord God reject His people, because His own people first rejected Him. This is written in “Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Many people become separated from God because they continue to ignore the revealed truth or spiritual knowledge. Since people are separated from God, they made their lives miserable, and as a consequence, many sufferings arise as penalties for their actions. We can check these human sufferings through the media resources we have today. These sufferings were all brought not by God, but through people who have done wickedness in their lives. All the sufferings were brought upon by the wickedness of men and these are only the immediate consequences of their actions.
What’s worst is the suffering that men will have because they continue to sin against the law of God. In the end, the penalty is death – Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But God does not want us all to suffer this penalty of death. He wants us to know the truth and be saved - “1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” All we have to do is to come to Him and know Him more. Knowing Him is the knowledge that most people rejected. They know Him as a God only in images, in papers, in calendars, in the chapels, in the gardens and in the temples. Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
